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The 2015 Pro Bowl rosters were announced on Tuesday, and the obvious list of snubs were being compiled immediately thereafter. When it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs, two players have serious claims to be among those who were unfairly left out.
While the Chiefs were proud to announce the inclusion of running back Jamaal Charles, defensive tackle Dontari Poe and linebackers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston among those honored this season, both cornerback Sean Smith and fullback Anthony Sherman merit serious consideration alongside their selected teammates.
Smith has stood out in a secondary that needed someone to lock things down. Marcus Cooper was relegated to the bench. Ron Parker was moved to safety. Injuries and youth have taken their toll on other candidates, but Smith has been a model citizen for the Chiefs defensive backfield. He has 42 tackles on the season and only one interception, but he's earned high grades all year for his performance.
As for Sherman, he's often mentioned among the NFL's best fullbacks, so it's a bit of a surprise he wasn't included. The only fullbacks in this year's Pro Bowl are John Kuhn of the Green Bay Packers and Marcel Reece of the Oakland Raiders. If Green Bay makes the Super Bowl, then it's likely that Sherman gets the call.
Interestingly enough, Sherman ranks as the top fullback in the NFL by far using Pro Football Focus's metrics.
.@Shermanator_42 has a +23.3 @PFF blocking grade the last 2 seasons, twice as high as any other FB. Deserves a Pro Bowl. #Chiefs
— Pete Damilatis (@PFF_Pete) December 24, 2014
On the same chart, Kuhn is No. 8 and Reece is one of the NFL's worst at No. 21 overall. Also using PFF's rankings, Sean Smith is the fifth best cornerback in the NFL. For the sake of comparison, Brent Grimes made the Pro Bowl, but ranks at No. 39 overall per Pro Football Focus.